An ethical novel
By Robert Domondon
"A Heart in a Time of Covid"
A nurse’s greatest gift becomes her most dangerous certainty.
Born in a Philippine garden at the end of World War II, Edena Dulalas learns early to listen—to the sea, to animals, to the subtle changes in a human body that signal danger before anyone else can see it. That instinct will shape her life as a nurse, physician, and builder of unconventional healthcare systems across two continents.
As cancer, loss, and a global pandemic narrow her world, Edena returns to the sea where she began—and faces the question she has spent a lifetime helping others answer.
A Heart in a Time of Covid is a luminous novel about caregiving, moral courage, and the cost of certainty.
Robert Domondon is a nurse and physician whose career spans more than two decades in critical care and healthcare leadership. He has worked at the intersection of bedside practice, systems design, and emerging medical technologies, with a particular focus on AI ethics, professional development, and the human dimensions of care. He is the founder of the Nurse Intelligence Network and the NAIO (Nurse AI Integration and Orchestration) Institute. He is the creator of EDENA AI.
A Heart in a Time of Covid represents his commitment to narrative medicine and values-centered leadership in healthcare. The novel is accompanied by reflection and facilitation guides designed for nursing education and interdisciplinary discussion.
He lives in California.
Book Cover Design by Nada Orlic
